St. John Frizell of [Fort Defiance](http://fortdefiancebrooklyn.com/) in Red Hook, Brooklyn, created this recipe for a [Fourth of July drinks](/articlesguides/holidays/july4/sangria-red-white-blue) feature—this is the blue option in a special red, white, and blue Sangria series. The drink gets its oceanlike hue from just 1 ounce of blue curaçao, but if color isn't important to you, feel free to use regular (clear) curaçao instead. Frizell warns against using cheap vermouth: "An excellent dry vermouth, like Dolin, is necessary for this recipe." The drizzle of Maraschino liqueur, Frizell explains, "adds a nutty, bittersweet note."

St. John Frizell of [Fort Defiance](http://fortdefiancebrooklyn.com/) in Red Hook, Brooklyn, created this recipe for a [Fourth of July drinks](/articlesguides/holidays/july4/sangria-red-white-blue) feature—this is the red option in a special red, white, and blue Sangria series. Dubonnet takes center stage in Frizell's Sangria but is a supporting player in many classic cocktail recipes, including the gin-based Dubonnet cocktail (also known as the Zaza). It's an aperitif wine that Frizell says is similar to vermouth and has been popular in French cafés since the 19th century.

St. John Frizell of [Fort Defiance](http://fortdefiancebrooklyn.com/) in Red Hook, Brooklyn, created this recipe for a [Fourth of July drinks](/articlesguides/holidays/july4/sangria-red-white-blue) feature—this is the white option in a special red, white, and blue Sangria series. For this Caribbean-inspired pitcher drink, Frizell recommends using good white rum or, even better, a mix of white rum and aged rum. "A funky aged Jamaican rum, like Smith & Cross, will add a profound depth of flavor to the mix," he notes. For the wine, Frizell says to use a young unoaked white, such as a Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling.

Surely you've had one too many supersweet sangrias whose fruit chunks overpower the (usually mediocre) wine. This version couldn't be more of a contrast, with a refreshing mintiness and subtly aromatic fruit that still allow the crispness of the white wine to come through.